Etihad Airways announced as official airline partner of the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games

Etihad Airways has been unveiled as the official airline partner of the 2019 Special Olympic World Summer Games, an event that will bring more than 7,000 athletes from 170 nations to Abu Dhabi in March of that year.

Thousands of athletes, coaches and supporters
to fly with Etihad from around the globe

Airline set to deliver world-class
hospitality and ground programme for Summer Games

Etihad Airways has been unveiled
as the official airline partner of the 2019 Special Olympic World Summer Games,
an event that will bring more than 7,000 athletes from 170 nations to Abu Dhabi
in March of that year.

Special Olympic athletes from the
UAE and Etihad Airways Emirati cadet pilots attended a special signing event
today, Thursday 25 May, at the headquarters of ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil
Company), another 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games sponsor.

The announcement was marked by
the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by His Excellency Mohamad Mubarak
Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Etihad Aviation Group board, and His Excellency
Mohamad Abdulla Al Junaibi, Chairman of the Higher Committee of the Special
Olympics World Summer Games.

Peter Baumgartner, Chief
Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said: “The 2019 Special Olympic World Summer
Games is a remarkable opportunity to showcase our Abu Dhabi home to these
phenomenal athletes as they compete on the highest stage. Everyone at Etihad
Airways is immensely proud to be supporting the Special Olympics World Summer
Games which will be hosted in the Middle East region for the first time.

“The partnership with the Special
Olympics is a key element of Etihad Aviation Group’s extensive social activity
programme which, in turn, feeds into the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030. We
look forward to working closely with all of our partners to make the 2019
Special Olympics World Summer Games a truly memorable occasion.”

The national airline of the
United Arab Emirates will carry athletes, equipment, coaches, dignitaries and
world media to its Abu Dhabi home for the event in March 2019. The airline will
be supported by Hala Abu Dhabi, Etihad’s destination management company, and
Etihad Cargo.

A wide programme of support and
engagement will be developed in the lead up to the event to ensure everyone
coming to the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games has the best experience
while in the UAE’s capital city.

“Etihad’s support will help
ensure we put on a world class event in 2019 and allow us to reach further with
our message of inclusivity, tolerance and philanthropy. These three key pillars
will empower not only our athletes, but people of all abilities across the
UAE.”

Abu Dhabi will be the first city
in the Middle East to host the global event that will bring together more than
7,000 athletes from 170 nations, making the Special Olympics World Summer Games
the largest sporting and humanitarian event of 2019.

The athletes will be accompanied
by 2,500 coaches and delegates, to compete in Abu Dhabi between 14 and 21 March
2019.

Football, swimming, athletics,
cycling, golf and powerlifting are amongst the 22 sports that feature over the
competition and other events which include a Global Policy Summit and Global
Youth Summit.

Mohammed Ansari, Etihad Airways’ cadet
pilot, said: “It is a privilege for me and the other cadet pilots to represent
Etihad Airways at today’s Special Olympics signing in Abu Dhabi. The Special
Olympics World Summer Games will be hugely inspirational to us all and I look
forward to flying the athletes and their coaches to Abu Dhabi in March 2019.”